‘I became paralysed at the age of 26. Before that I had lived a typical life, gone to school, college then university. Everything was going well and my life was full of opportunity.

'Then I fell sick. I wasn’t eating too well. I was hospitalised with fatigue. I lost spinal function in 2018. I was in the process of completing my second degree when I fell sick.

‘With time I have managed to regain spinal function although the situation is still bleak and my ability to take on physical exercise is limited. I can dress myself, but I can’t carry a couple of bags from Sainsbury’s. I don’t have the full physicality of other people now.

'Disability is difficult. The weight gain is especially hard to take on board. I am trying to draw on the strength of the Lord but that too is difficult.

‘I came across these verses recently in the book of Judges 6, which helps me in my anxieties as I search for employment. In Judges 6.13–14, Gideon is questioning if God has abandoned them. In verse 14 it says, "Then the Lord turned to him and said, 'Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!’”

‘He said that he was with them even in a person’s weakness. That spoke to me. I need God’s strength and guidance in order to be able to take on battles. Finding employment is the biggest battle for me. When you are disabled, it’s so much more difficult.

‘These verses mean for me that God will keep his promises to me. I hope that God will be there for me. I hope that God equips me to be a priest. I don’t want not to work. I want to live my life.’

Do you have a story to share? Email mybible@biblesociety.org.uk

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